FAA proposes ice detection rules for

commuter aircraft



Tweet
Print
By: JOHN CROFT WASHINGTON DC
08:32 20 Nov 2009
Source:

The FAA on Monday will propose a new rule that would require
airlines operating aircraft with maximum take off weight (MTOW) of
less than 60,000lb (27,216kg) to begin using equipment and or
procedures on those aircraft to aid in ice detection during certain
portions of flight.
Prompted initially by the ice-related fatal crash of an American
Eagle ATR 72 near Roselawn, Indiana in 1994, the notice of
proposed rulemaking (NPRM) represents the FAA's attempt to
address lingering concerns about flight in icing conditions,
particularly for smaller commuter-type aircraft, and how pilots
operate ice prevention equipment.
The FAA until now has been addressing potential issues on a per-
aircraft basis through dozens of airworthiness directives (ADs).
Those mandates were based in part on the findings of an aviation
rulemaking advisory committee (ARAC) launched in 1997 to
investigate the need for ice detectors or other means for alerting
crews to active de-ice or anti-icing systems to remove or prevent to
the accumulation of ice on critical aircraft surfaces.
"An evaluation of accidents and incidents led to the conclusion that
the ADs do not provide adequate assurance that the flight crew will
be made aware of when to activate the airframe ice protection
system (IPS)," the FAA says.
FAA says a "limited analysis" of past icing events revealed that
aircraft above the 60,000lb cut-off have not "experienced accidents
due to in-flight icing, while airplanes with lower certified MTOWs
have an event history".
The agency notes, however, that if the limit were raised to
66,000lb, the new rule would encompass the Bombardier Q400,
which was involved in a fatal accident near Buffalo, New York this
February. Icing was originally thought to be a factor in the actions
that led to the Colgan Air aircraft to crash, though US National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators have
downplayed the role of icing as the investigation has proceeded.
The new NPRM would require crews to activate icing protection
systems based on one of three airframe icing cues: a primary
(redundant) airframe ice detection system; an advisory (non-
redundant) detector coupled with visual cues; and a method of
using temperature and visible moisture conditions as a threshold to
active the IPS during most non-cruise flight phases.
FAA in parallel with the NPRM has released a draft advisory
circular to help operators determine how to satisfy the new
requirements, which it says will cost $5.5 million during the next 20
years. Offsetting the expense would be savings of $17.3 million by
eliminating one accident and four fatalities.
The new rules would also satisfy NTSB recommendations that
came in the wake of the fatal crash of a Cessna Citation 560
business jet on approach to Pueblo, Colorado in 2005, says the
FAA.
Certain recommendations from the ARAC continue to be evaluated
by the FAA, including a measure to require "certain" Part 121
aircraft to exit icing conditions. The FAA had earlier mandated the
advanced ice detection methods for new build aircraft.